The Registrar of Political Parties, Ann Nderitu, CBS hosted and held discussions with representatives from Zimbabwe Institute, Zimbabwe Political Parties Dialogue and representatives from the Ministry of Youth Zimbabwe on 14th February 2024 at ORPP headquarters.
Central to the deliberations were areas of collaboration between the two institutions to promote youth inclusion in the political processes. “We are delighted to have ORPP as your destination for learning particularly having to implement impactful youth programmes in political parties”, appreciated the head of the delegation.
“It is in such mutual engagements, that this Office continues to support other countries in the region and beyond to en-trench their democracy and good governance. We have done this for several countries in the continent”, said the Registrar.
“The Office has been involved in empowerment programmes to upscale inclusion including the youth in political leadership”, Ali Abdullahi, Assistant Registrar underscored.
Assistant Registrar, CPA Florence Birya outlined various measures that the Office had and planned to take to ensure youth inclusion such as partnership and collaborative initiatives with youth groups/associations and higher education institutions. She also highlighted provisions in the Political Parties Act, 2011 that designate a portion of the Political Parties Fund that funded political parties are required to be utilized as a minimum in the promotion of youth activities in political parties.
Other interventions of the ORPP highlighted were capacity building and legal reform that are responsive to youth and other special interest groups (SIGs) aspirations. The delegation had useful lessons from Kenyan political parties’ regulatory model contextual the country’s youth role in a thriving democracy among other issues of mutual gain.
The meeting was facilitated by a section of senior ORPP officers with the coordination of the Partnership and Linkages department. The delegation was courtesy of the Centre For Multi-party Democracy Kenya.